Camp Frenemies

This witty, well-paced graphic novel follows the interpersonal trials and tribulations of three cabinmates at sleepaway camp: curly-haired sixth grader Bea, whose parents hope sending her to Camp Chordata will help expand her social circle beyond her collection of stuffed animals; redhead Virginia, who wears a perma-frown, balks at Bea’s eccentricities, and mourns the loss of potential friendship with the girls on her school’s soccer team after not making the cut; and cheerful Roxy, who sports blond braids and acts as the group’s peacemaker—until she grows tired of Bea and Virginia’s bickering. Mean-spirited pranks and capsized canoes derail the girls’ attempts to foster friendship, events that Montague (The Winter Frost) captures via simple line drawings and flat, saturated color palettes. Bea’s homebound plushies appear as her conscience and take on the role of an omniscient Greek chorus in thought balloons, providing commentary on the protagonists’ hardships (“Why is someone crying every night?” one stuffed animal asks. “Must be a camp thing,” another replies) and injecting whimsy and humor throughout (on Bea’s crush: “Is he... the most beautiful person in the entire world and all of Saturn’s moons?”). Characters are depicted as having varying skin tones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Wendi Gu, HG Literary. (May)